Multimedia outlet box

ABSTRACT

An outlet box is disclosed. The outlet box has a base including a rear surface of the outlet box, and a cover including a front surface of the outlet box. The cover is configured to engagingly fit over the base. An intermediate portion extends from one or both of the base and cover and extends generally between the rear surface and the front surface. The cover, the base, and the intermediate portion cooperatively define an interior of the outlet box when the cover and the base are engagingly fitted together. The intermediate portion includes a pair of opposed inwardly inclined portions and a pair of set-off portions extending from the inner more ends of the inwardly inclined portions, and at least one of the inclined portions includes an aperture therein. A connector is disposed within the base, and the connector has an opening for receiving a plug.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/095,419,filed Mar. 31, 2005, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.10/215,583, filed Aug. 9, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,547.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications andmultimedia junctions, and particularly to outlet boxes for facilitatingtelecommunications and multimedia-type junctions and connections withina work space or other place where space is at a premium.

Outlet boxes designed for the work place need to account for potentiallytight space considerations. In particular, providing access to theconnectors housed therein from a variety of angles is oftenadvantageous, as seen for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,765. This isespecially true of outlet boxes intended to be wall-mounted or otherwisedisposed within a visible and usable work space, as opposed to whenoutlet boxes are mounted in more discreet locations, such as when theyare underfloor-mounted or when they reside above a false ceiling. Thespace limitations associated with a work space might, for example, yieldsituations where a particular cable only has sufficient length to reachone particular side of an outlet box and/or from one particular angle.Also, fiberoptic cabling generally must avoid sharp turns or bends, andoften has a “minimum bend radius” associated with particular cable.Standard outlet boxes having traditional configurations sometimes failto accommodate the demands of fiberoptic cabling by requiring sharpturns of the cabling in order to plug into particular connectors or byhaving sharp corners on the perimeter of the box.

Many different types of outlet boxes exist, but a significantshortcoming of many prior art designs is that they do not support alarge number of “gravity-feed” connections, connections where a cableapproaches the outlet box at an upward angle or direction such thatgravity's effect on the cable is more minimal, especially with regard toadversely affecting the bend radius near the outlet box. Sometimes evenconnectors that provide “gravity-feed” connections, such as the onesshown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,765, fail to provide sufficient clearancefor the cables entering the “gravity-feed” connectors to avoid bendradius problems due to the potential proximity of other office equipmentand the like.

Other outlet boxes fail to provide for easy access to the interiorthereof, such as to access cable or switch particular connectors intoand out of particular bays of the outlet box. This can limit theadaptability of the outlet box for particular telecommunications ormultimedia applications. Still other outlet boxes fail to provide cableslack management features, such as bend radii, inside the boxes. Suchfailure may encourage deleterious cable kinking and tangling within theboxes. Some boxes may also have connectors oriented to make plugsdifficult to insert into or remove from the connectors, especially whenadjacent connectors have plugs inserted therein. Still other boxes mayrequire a fiberoptic cable to be twisted to enable a plug to be insertedinto its connectors. Twisting of fiberoptic cables, especially whencoupled with other stresses, may have detrimental effects on the signalsbeing passed through them. Thus, there is a need for an improvedmultimedia outlet box.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed and claimed herein is an outlet box for addressing theabove-identified shortcomings of prior devices.

In an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an outlet boxhaving a base including a rear surface of the outlet box, a coverincluding a front surface of the outlet box, the cover being configuredfor engagingly fitting over the base, an intermediate portion extendingfrom one or both of the base and cover and extending generally betweenthe rear surface and the front surface, whereby the cover, the base, andthe intermediate portion cooperatively define an interior of the outletbox when the cover and the base are engagingly fitted together, theintermediate portion including a pair of opposed inwardly inclinedportions and a pair of set-off portions extending from the inner moreends of the inwardly inclined portions, at least one of the inclinedportions including an aperture therein, and a connector disposed withinthe base, the connector having an opening for receiving a plug.

In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an outlet boxhaving a base including a rear surface of the outlet box, a coverincluding a front surface of the outlet box, the cover being configuredfor engagingly fitting over the base, an intermediate portion extendingfrom one or both of the base and cover and extending generally betweenthe rear surface and the front surface, whereby the cover, the base, andthe intermediate portion cooperatively define an interior of the outletbox when the cover and the base are engagingly fitted together, theintermediate portion including a pair of opposed inwardly inclinedportions, at least one of the inclined portions including an aperturetherein, and a connector disposed within the base, the connector havingan opening configured for receiving a latched plug, the opening beingoriented such that when the latched plug is disposed within theconnector, the latch extends toward the front surface of the outlet box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled outlet box in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded disassembled perspective view of the outlet box ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the base portion of the outlet box of FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the underside of the base portion of theoutlet box of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded disassembled perspective view of an outlet box inaccordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the outlet box of FIG. 5, wherein theoutlet box is assembled.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A modern office communication network can include a variety of voice,data, and video cables which connect, for example, central officetelephone equipment to individual telephones and main frame computers toremote personal computers. The terminal ends of these cables areprovided with appropriate connectors for selective interconnection toremote equipment. The present invention provides a means to securelymount a variety of these connectors, possibly from different media, inone enclosure for subsequent connection to cables connected to variousoffice equipment.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a12-port outlet box 10, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. The outlet box 10 is shownin assembled form in FIG. 1 and disassembled form in FIG. 2. As seen inthese figures, the box 10 includes a cover 12 that snappingly engageswith, and is disengageable from, a base 14. The cover includes the frontsurface 16 of the box and a generally perpendicular side wall 18 thatcontributes to the intermediate portion of the box when the cover andbase are mutually engaged. The base includes the rear surface 20 of thebox and a generally perpendicular side wall 22 upstanding therefromthat, like the side wall 18 of the cover, contributes to theintermediate portion of the box when the cover and base are mutuallyengaged.

As best seen from the plan view of FIG. 3, the base and whole box have adistinctive geometry, including a top portion 30, a pair of inwardlyinclined portions 32 extending inwardly from the outer more ends 33 ofthe top portion, a pair of set-off portions 34 extending from the innermore ends 35 of the inclined portions, and a bottom portion 36 extendingfrom and between the opposite ends of the set-off portions.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the set-off portions 34 aregenerally perpendicular to the top portion 30, while the bottom portion36 is generally parallel to the top portion 30, though theserelationships need not exist within the context of the invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer more ends 33 ofthe inwardly inclined portions 32 and the top portion 30 meet at roundedcorners 38. Such rounded corners provide bend radius control forfiberoptic cables if they are wrapped around that portion of the box.Sharper corners might cause damage to fiberoptic or other more fragilecables that might inhibit signal transmission thereover.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inclined portions 32 areat an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the top portion 30, and/orrelative to a vertical orientation, but this angle may varysignificantly.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 14 includes bays for permitting theinsertion into the box of various jack/connector configurations. Forexample, up to twelve single-position jacks may be accommodated alongthe interior side of the inwardly inclined portions, six on each side.Alternatively, banks of jacks may be used, such as a single bank of sixadjacent jacks or two adjacent banks of three jacks along each inwardlyinclined portion. The connectors/jacks may or may not be of identicaltype, as any combination can be used in the multimedia box. FIG. 2, forexample, shows fiberoptic connectors and standard telephone jacks inside-by-side configuration.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes an inlethole 24 generally in the center thereof for permitting cable to enterthe interior of the box there through. In a preferred embodiment, theshape of the hole allows for the cables to flow to the connectorpositions more easily, and thereby deters unwanted slack within theinterior of the box and unnecessary redirections that may increase thechances of damage to fibers or signal degradation.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, break-out portions 42 arefound along the intermediate portion of the box to function as alternateinlets or outlets for cables, especially via means such as raceway. FIG.2 shows such a break-out in the top portion 30 of the box. Notches 44may be used to facilitate the break-outs.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes mountingholes or bosses 45 that are compatible with NEMA standard single gangand double gang boxes.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes spoolingstructures to facilitate cable slack storage. In the shown embodiment,some of the spooling structures 47 are attached to the bosses 45. In theshown embodiment, the spooling pattern is generally a FIG. 8. The FIG. 8pattern allows for the fiber slack to be spread out over a larger area,thereby avoiding a large bundle of fibers residing about a singlediameter.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes one ormore cable tie down structures 46 to facilitate the bundling,management, and/or routing of cables within the interior of the box.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes one ormore breakouts 48 for an MPO adapter to be inserted.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes one ormore magnet pockets 49 for retaining magnets as an alternate method formounting the box on a surface. The box could alternatively oradditionally be supplied with double-sided adhesive foam tape formounting.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base includes labelingareas 52 for identifying the corresponding ports. Such areas 52 may alsoact as screw covers, hiding screws that secure the cover to the base.

In the shown embodiment, the base contains four notches to permit thecover to snappingly engage the base. At the notches are screwdriverrelease pads to facilitate removing the cover from the base.

As can be seen from the figures, when the shown embodiment is installedin the orientation shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 upon a wall or other verticalsurface, the inwardly inclined portions of the box facilitate“gravity-feed” connections in that the plugs approach the connectors atan upward angle. Thus, the cables extending from the plugs do notencounter the same degree of kinking near the plug due to the weight ofthe cables themselves, as opposed to cables approaching horizontally,downwardly, or at a downward angle. Rather, the more upwardly theapproach, the less kinking that is caused.

Importantly, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rectangular section ofthe box, generally defined by set-off portions 34 and bottom portion 36,sets the box off from any furniture or other obstructions that may belocated just below the box along its vertical mounting surface. Withoutsuch a set-off, cables approaching the box at an upward angle wouldlikely encounter kinking issues against the furniture since the cablewould have very little distance in which to turn a significant angle.

Thus, the shown embodiment of the invention includes a trapezoidalsection defined primarily by the inclined portions 32 and the topportion 30 residing just above a rectangular (or other quadrilateral)section defined by the set-off portions 34 and the bottom portion 36.The rectangular section provides set-off and thereby helps preventbreaking the minimum bend radius for optical cables. Additionally, thesection providing set-off also prevents the potential problem ofdifficulty or impossibility of inserting plugs into gravity-feedconnectors wherein insufficient space is provided between the connectorsand office obstructions, such as desks, cabinets, book cases, computermonitors, wall outlets, thermostats, and the like. Thus, suchobstructions can cause damage to optical cable or make difficult orimpossible the insertion of plugs when no set-off section is provided.

The rectangular set-off section of the shown embodiment need notactually be rectangular and the set-off portions need not actually bestraight or mutually parallel, as any similar set-off structure couldperform similar functions, and such similar structure is considered tobe alternative within the context of the invention.

In accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention, there isprovided a 24-port outlet box, as shown in FIGS. 5-6. The outlet box 110is shown in assembled form in FIG. 6 and disassembled form in FIG. 5. Asseen in these figures, the box 110 includes a cover 112 that snappinglyengages with, and is disengageable from, a base 114. The cover includesthe front surface 116 of the box and a generally perpendicular side wall118 that contributes to the intermediate portion of the box when thecover and base are mutually engaged. The base includes the rear surface120 of the box and a generally perpendicular side wall 122 upstandingtherefrom that, like the side wall 118 of the cover, contributes to theintermediate portion of the box when the cover and base are mutuallyengaged.

Preferably, base 14 of the 12-port embodiment and base 114 of the24-port embodiment are identical, and either cover 12 or cover 112 maybe used with the common base, depending on whether the 12-port or24-port embodiment of the outlet box is needed for a particularapplication.

In the shown 24-port embodiment, a bridge 124 is snapped into orotherwise engaged with structure of the base 114 to expand the capacityof the box from 12 ports to 24 ports. To provide space for theadditional row of connectors, the cover 112 is deeper than its 12-portcover counterpart. The cut-away portion 140 of the cover side wall 118is also correspondingly larger than its 12-port cut-away portioncounterpart to accommodate the bridge and multiple rows of connectors.The 24-port embodiment simply permits more like-sized connectors to behoused within the outlet box, while providing the same flexibilityrelating to different types, configurations, and orientations ofconnectors and corresponding plugs. As seen in FIG. 6, for example,fiberoptic connectors can adjoin telephone jacks in variouscombinations.

In both shown embodiments, at least some of the connectors have openingsconfigured for receiving a latched plug, the openings being orientedsuch that when corresponding latched plugs are disposed within theconnectors, the latches extend toward the front surface of the outletbox. This orientation has the benefit that when various plugs arelocated within adjacent connectors, it is easier to activate the latchto permit disengagement of one of the plugs when the latch is notlocated between the adjacent plugs, as it would be if the connectors andplugs were rotated 90 degrees in either direction. Additionally, such anorientation of the connectors may require less twisting of fiberopticcables resulting from mating with the connectors. The decreased twistingdecreases the risk of damaging the fiberoptic cables from anoverstressed condition.

The disclosed invention provides an improved multimedia outlet box. Itshould be noted that the above-described and illustrated embodiments ofthe invention are not an exhaustive listing of the forms an outlet boxin accordance with the invention could take; rather, they serve asexemplary and illustrative of preferred embodiments of the invention aspresently understood. Many other forms of the invention are believe toexist. Examples inexhaustively include boxes wherein the inclinedportions form angles other than 45 degrees relative to other portions ofthe box and/or to a vertical orientation, boxes wherein the set-offportions are not mutually parallel or parallel or perpendicular to anyparticular portions of the box or a vertical orientation, boxes whereinthe top portion includes multiple segments not necessarily coplanar orcollinear with each other, and boxes wherein the number of connectorshoused is greater or lesser than 12 or 24, or the number of rows ofconnectors is greater than two.

The invention is defined by the following claims.

1. An outlet box comprising: a base including a rear surface of saidoutlet box; a cover including a front surface of said outlet box, saidcover being configured for engagingly fitting over said base; anintermediate portion extending from one or both of said base and coverand extending generally between said rear surface and said frontsurface, whereby said cover, said base, and said intermediate portioncooperatively define an interior of said outlet box when said cover andsaid base are engagingly fitted together; said intermediate portionincluding a pair of opposed inwardly inclined portions, at least one ofsaid inclined portions including an aperture therein; and a connectordisposed within said base, said connector having an opening configuredfor receiving a latched plug, said opening being oriented such that whensaid latched plug is disposed within said connector, the latch extendstoward said front surface of said outlet box.
 2. An outlet box inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said cover is configured for removablyfitting over said base.
 3. An outlet box in accordance with claim 1wherein each of said inclined portions forms an exterior angle ofapproximately 135 degrees with a corresponding set-off portion extendingtherefrom.
 4. An outlet box in accordance with claim 1 including a topportion generally connecting said pair of opposed inwardly inclinedportions proximate the outer more ends of said inwardly inclinedportions.
 5. An outlet box in accordance with claim 1 further includingstructure within said interior thereof for providing slack storage offiberoptic cable located therein.
 6. An outlet box in accordance withclaim 1 further including at least two rows of connectors disposedtherein.
 7. An outlet box in accordance with claim 1 wherein said rearsurface includes an inlet hole for permitting entry of a cable into saidinterior of said outlet box to connect with said connector, wherein saidinlet hole is shaped to guide said cable toward said connector.